Letters of the American South

"Letters of the American South" takes a journey through first-hand stories of the Southern United States, placing Southern musical compositions in conversation with poems, letters, and literature from Southern writers. Woven together through the diverse abilities of an actor, pianist, violinist, and singer (all of whom share through more than one discipline), the program brings the beauty and poignancy of these art forms into the room, offering each audience member multiple pathways into the South's collective history. Musical programming includes works by Charles Ives, H.T. Burleigh, Gladys Rich, Thomas A. Dorsey, Stephen Foster, and William Grant Still, among others, while spoken texts include words by Harper Lee, Maya Angelou, Emma Lazarus, Kate Chopin, Bryan Stevenson, and Eudora Welty. The inaugural tour of took place in the fall of 2017 in Georgia and was repeated on Governor’s Island in NY during the 2018 Rite of Summer Music Festival.

I received rave reviews about your program. One of the best aspects was the variety of selections, but second was your versatility. My jaw dropped when I saw Victoria dance, Thomas play the piano, and Matthew and Jocelyn sing!

— Suzanne Shull, President-Jasper Muse, Inc.

I just wanted to let you know how impressed I was with last night’s show...I was blown away by the technical mastery and depth of performance. I was even more blown away with the way you blended deep messages with your musical performances. I often feel like I am in between two worlds of understanding in terms of diversity and what is happening in the world and that people aren’t even speaking the same language. But your performance delivered these messages in such an eloquent and thoughtful way and wasn’t heavy handed. We need this so much right now!